Think of the world as the patient and the patient has a fever, it is too hot and the heat is decreasing our ability to deal with everything from food security to emission reduction as we crank up our air conditioners and increase our population and increase our consumption. The cause is an excess of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, but we must also address the fever to give us more time to remove the causes. Our efforts on emission reduction and carbon capture have proven inadequate.

The proof of the inadequacy of our efforts is evidence by an increasing rate of heat waves in the ocean and land, drought, wild fires and massive rain falls and floods.

The paper on Albedo Enhancement in the MDPI Climate Journal showed that if we could create an additional 22.848 Million sq km of additional reflective surfaces with an albedo or Radiative Forcing of -25 W/ Sq m then that would offset the additional heat being retained on the earth as of mid 2019 . The mid 2019 excessive heat was expressed as Earth Energy Imbalance (EEI) of 1.12 W/ sq. m for the whole earth [NOAA]. It has evidently increased since then as forecast and probably by a greater amount due to loss of snow cover.

Now a highly reflective surface such as white limestone rock would boost the albedo of land surface by three times as much per sq m or 3 x -25 W/m2 – 75 w/m2 and then we would only need a new reflective surface of 1/3 of 22.848 million sq km or 7.264 million sq km of this highly reflective surface whether it be cloud (yes we can create them) or salt flats and arid land covered with white rocks or paint, to offset this EEI level. 

The Opposite is Also True

We can be sure that the loss of snow cover on ice and land can have an effect in the opposite direction of increasing the EEI another 1.12 W/sq. m to a factor of 2. In other words the rate of heat absorption by the earth or sea could double and this would cause further snow melt and a spiraling increase in the heat simply from the loss of albedo. This may be the heat spiral that we now seem to be riding to a dubious future.

Action Required – Nil desperandum carburundum illegitami

It is possible to activate 1000 projects in 100 countries and their oceans, profitably, to increase the albedo to offset this increase and begin to cool the world.

Large ocean spaces which are far from land and highly suitable for fertilization and algae inoculation can produce algae on the surface to reflect the sunlight. The algae also generates Dimethyl Sulphide (DMS) gas which helps form clouds over the ocean as each molecule can provide a Cloud Condensing Nuclei (CCN) which form droplets and accumulate as clouds which reflect sunlight back into space. 

Albedo Enhancement on land was first symbolically rewarded by the UN with $100,000 to children in South America for painting rocks white.

Our existing personal funding has been heavily depleted and we do not currently have sufficient financial capacity to carry out absolutely necessary further research and precise project definition so you are welcome to assist in dealing with climate change with a tax free donation or by carrying out a project or by sponsoring our efforts.

If funded for further research we can identify suitable AE projects and encourage their activation and the research needed to prove the level of their effectiveness and prove the effectiveness of another new method for reducing the heat on the land.

Profitability

The beauty of AE projects is that they show the promise of being profitable as soon as the temporary carbon equivalent defined in the paper is recognized by one or more of the carbon credit trading organizations, or the project manager can go directly to a large corporation. The AE factor will need to be measured by an independent body to verify their efforts.

Projects Possible

In all cases 1 sq km of surface with an albedo increase of only -25 w/m2 will yield a temporary atmospheric carbon tonnage reduction of 18,400 tons for the duration of that the enhancement is prolonged. This is the same as removing 64,300 tons of CO2 or taking Y cars off the road and will reduce the heat absorbed by 600,000 Kwh per day of its duration. Factors of 2 or 3 times as great as this should be readily achievable except perhaps in cloud formation.

On Highways and Paths

Our highways need to have lighter colored material substituted for or covering the heat absorbing, extremely low albedo, “blacktop”. Such substitutes have been carried out in Phoenix with some success. Adopt a highway could have new meaning in turning roads and walkways into surfaces with a higher albedo and earn the adopter carbon credits.

On Roofs and Walls

Roofs can be painted white and new paints with suitable characteristics have been developed. 

On Desert and Arid Land

Otherwise low-value desert or arid land can be turned in to a carbon credit farm. Desert owners with a ready access to salt flat revitalization, or non-toxic white rocks for spreading on the land could address very large areas at minimal costs per sq km and earn export credits for carbon credits sold for those arid or desert lands  

With Forest Creation 

New commercial forest plantations could accelerate growth and income by the placement of white high albedo rocks or limestone or gypsum or slow-dissolving light colored fertilizer material, even nitrogen capturing ground cover, on the ground amongst the seedlings. This could provide an initial carbon credit income for the plantation and the additional reflected light would accelerate tree growth until the ground cover was shaded. This should also increase soil moisture retention for the benefit of the seedlings and resist heat waves. Remnants of solid albedo material might then be machine collected for use elsewhere.

Some Simple Virtual Projects

• My virtual farm is 1 sq. km in the desert for which I paid only $100 and whereas the Albedo of the desert sand was 0.2 I have added white limestone rocks to the surface and the Albedo is now 0.61.

• I farm in the early morning hours and keep the rocks clean with a rock cleaning machine tractor pulled so as to maintain the exposure and albedo. My albedo readings were checked by an independent authority and they certified the 0.2 and the 0.61.

• The additional albedo or Albedo Enhancement (AE) is 0.41 and due to its latitude and separation from mountain shade, this results in 0.41/.136 =3.0 x -25 W/m2 =Albedo Enhancement of -75 W/m2.

• According to the peer reviewed MDPI Climate article journal of Mar 7 it will cool locally by 3 x 600,000 kWh per day =1,800,000 kWh. However I live underground in a habitat designed by Help Offset so as to stay cool and only work outside when the sun is low on the horizon.

• I have negotiated payment for this carbon offset of only $2 per year of this AE generated Temporary Carbon offset and hope to obtain higher figures later.

• This will yield a carbon credit crop of $2 x 55,200 per annum or $110,400.

• Next year I will expand to 10 sq km and gross accordingly.

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A friend with another virtual farm on fertile soil was able to boost albedo for three months using ground cover during the fallow period and earned $15,000 and better crop yields.

So if you can see the benefit, please help us inspire knowledge of the word albedo and all that can follow until large areas are activated.